How to fix Willy’s boat and reach Ginger Island in Stardew Valley

When Stardew Valley received update 1.5 on PC and consoles in December 2020, it also received a new island called Ginger Island, and let me tell you, there's a lot to do there. With some new additions in subsequent updates, there's never been a better time to find paradise.

To reach Ginger Island, which is essentially your home away from home once you've established yourself, you'll first need to complete the Community Center bundles — or the equivalent JojaMart questline if you're a Stardew Valley player with a wild side.

This means there's potentially a ton of setup if you're a new player who hasn't already gone through the game's "main quest." If you have, there isn't too much extra work.

Trust me, though, it's worth it — Ginger Island is one of the best parts of Stardew Valley.

How to fix Willy's Boat in Stardew Valley

Once you've finished your Community Center bundles or JojaMart payments, Willy will mail you a letter saying he has unlocked the backroom in the Fish Shop. The letter can take two days to arrive, so hang in there.

Prior to update 1.5, this ominous black door inside the shop didn't serve a purpose, but now it's your ticket to Ginger Island. Inside the Fish Shop's unlocked room, you'll find a decades-old boat in need of repairs. As is often the case in Stardew Valley, your job is only just getting started.

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To get the boat in working order, you'll need to gather a selection of items, each taking a fair amount of work. There's no other way to reach Ginger Island without repairing the boat, so strap in because this might take a while.

Five Iridium Bars

You need these to fix the anchor of the boat. Otherwise, you'll float past Ginger Island, and nobody wants to see paradise slip through their fingers or disappear over the horizon. There are a few different ways to get your hands on these:

• By placing 5 Iridium Ore and 1 Copper into a Furnace. Iridium Ore can be found while exploring the Mines or breaking rocks within the Quarry.
• Golden Fishing Chests
• Possible drops from the following monsters:
  • Shadow Shaman (0.2%)
  • Shadow Brute (0.2%)
  • Iridium Bat (0.8%)
  • Purple Slime (0.9%)
  • Iridium Golems
• The Statue of Endless Fortune has a 25% chance to drop one Iridium Bar every day, as long as it isn’t a villager's birthday.
• Occasionally sold at the Traveling Cart for between 3,000 and 5,000 Gold.
• Purchased from Maru at the Desert Festival for 50 Calico Eggs each.

Five Battery Packs

There's no use fixing the boat if you haven't fixed the machine, which will give you your ticket to Ginger Island. You'll need 5 Battery Packs to fix the ticket machine and thankfully, these are pretty easy to get:

• Created by Lightning Rods during a thunderstorm
• Created by a Solar Panel after seven sunny days
• Occasionally sold at the Traveling Cart for between 1,500 and 2,500 Gold
• Possible drop from Iridium Bats (5%)

Hardwood

The most important thing is to ensure that the boat doesn't sink before you reach your destination. For that, you'll need hardwood. 200, to be exact.

This hardwood is the most challenging resource in this quest to get your hands on, but if you plant some mahogany trees on the farm, they'll grow into trees that you can shop down to get hardwood. On top of this, the Secret Woods (to the west of Cindersap Forest) has daily regenerating Hardwood stumps, which you can break to obtain 12 Hardwood per day.

How to get to Ginger Island in Stardew Valley

After repairing Willy's boat, you'll be allowed into the Fish Shop at 8:00 a.m. every day. This is worth mentioning since time is money in Stardew Valley, and it's important to maximize it until you can set up a new beachfront property. You don't want to doze off.

Traveling to Ginger Island works like traveling to the Calico Desert once you've repaired the bus. Purchase a ticket, enter the boat and sit back while Willy does all the hard work.

One last note! Before you take off with Willy, make sure you bring a watering can on your first trip — it's not necessarily a tool you use daily at this point in your playthrough, but you'll need it if you poke around the Volcano Dungeon.

What's on Ginger Island in Stardew Valley?

After an initial cutscene the first time you visit, you'll be free to explore the parts of Ginger Island that are currently unlocked to you. Ginger Island holds a myriad of secrets to uncover, so get ready for an adventure.

Golden Walnuts

Unfortunately, unlocking new areas and features of Ginger Island requires something a little unusual — Golden Walnuts. These can be exchanged with Parrots, who will grant you access to new locations. You'll need at least 100 of these nuts held aside to unlock Qi's Walnut Room, where you can find a few new things to keep you occupied, such as the Perfection Tracker.

Beyond this, you'll need them to unlock Ginger Island's regions, buildings, and other resources to make traversing this area easier. Most of them are hiding on the island, but you can occasionally find them by killing monsters, farming, fishing, and breaking crates in the Volcano Dungeon.

Volcano Dungeon

If you enjoy the mines and Skull Cavern, I have good news: Ginger Island has its own dungeon. Volcano Dungeon, located in the northernmost region of Ginger Island, has ten levels, much like floors 80 to 120 of the regular Mines. However, it comes with its own set of enemies and obstacles, including lava you can extinguish with a watering can. Advancing to the end of this dungeon gives you access to the Volcano's forge, letting you pay Cinder Shards to get exclusive perks on your tools and weapons.

Island Farmhouse

Much like the mainland, Ginger Island has its own farmhouse on the island's west side, which you can live in and upgrade. Its first initial repair costs 20 Golden Walnuts, with a mailbox upgrade costing five walnuts and an Obelisk costing 20. It'll act like a fully upgraded house, giving you an additional place to decorate or spend the night.

Buildings and stores

Alongside the farmhouse and Volcano Dungeon, Ginger Island has additional structures you can build and explore:

• Beach Resort
• Pirate Cove
• Dig Site and Island Field Office
• Qi's Walnut Room

These all serve different purposes on Ginger Island, with the Beach Resort acting as a bar and the Pirate Cove being a great fishing spot on the island's east side. As you approach the island's center, you'll encounter Dig Site, a smaller version of Pelican Town's museum, where you can hand in animal bones.

Ginger Island also rewards you for collecting Golden Walnuts. After collecting 100, you'll unlock Qi's Walnut Room and new challenges within and outside the island.

Parrot Express

Like Pelican Town's minecart system, Ginger Island has a fast-travel system known as the Parrot Express. By paying Golden Walnuts to rebuild these spots, you can teleport around the island, making navigation noticeably easier. There are five Parrot Express locations to unlock:

• Volcano
• Farm
• Dig Site
• Jungle
• Docks

Characters

There are also new NPCs to meet on Ginger Island. Although none of them are marriage candidates, they all have different purposes, from being your friend to selling you various items. Here's a list of every character you can find on Ginger Island:

• Birdie
• Leo
• Professor Snail
• Island Trader
• Mr. Qi

If you want a new friend, Leo is who you're looking for. Leo is a young boy who lives within Ginger Island's east jungle and communicates with the island's parrots, including a Golden Walnut Hint parrot. Raising his hearts will unlock new cutscenes with him, including a special event starting from six hearts.

We also have two quest NPCs — Birdie and Professor Snail. Birdie lives on the west side of Ginger Island and is involved in a brief quest, The Pirate's Wife. Professor Snail runs an Island Field Office near the Dig Site, but you'll first have to spend 10 Golden Walnuts to repair the bridge connecting it to the rest of Ginger Island. Doing so unlocks the Field Office for donating bones.

The Island Trader is Ginger Island's main merchant. You'll initially unlock it by traveling to the middle of the map and using 10 Golden Walnuts to unlock its stall. Afterwards, you can buy items like Golden Coconuts, Warp Totems, and furniture for island resources.

Last but not least, we have Mr. Qi. Normally, you can interact with him occasionally as a special NPC during Stardew Valley's quest line. However, his Ginger Island version requires collecting 100 Golden Walnuts to open his walnut room on the west side of the map. Entering this room unlocks Qi challenges, rewarding you with gems you can spend on exclusive rewards.

Special climate

However, the climate is one of the best parts of Ginger Island. Not only is it a tropical paradise where you can feel the sun on your skin, but the farm here also follows the same conventions as the Greenhouse back on the farm. You can grow any crop here, regardless of seasonal limitations. That way, you can plant some of Stardew Valley's best crops without worrying about the weather.

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